ONE in nine of us suffer from an episode of depression or anxiety at some point in our lives

TV3’s Doctor in the House, Nina Byrnes, says she’s seeing an increase in the number of people suffering from anxiety. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it means more people are aware of the disorder.

Here she speaks about dealing with anxiety.

Confronting the condition

THERE is a lot of pressure in today’s world to have the perfect relationship, the perfect job, the perfect family, and I think our strive for this perfection increases anxiety.

It’s been well documented that social media, in one way, has perpetuated this, because people are always looking at the shiny, happy lives of others — and somehow their own lives don’t match up.

Given the pressures of today, we’re seeing more of anxiety. In one way that’s a good thing, as people are talking about it.

Women present more than men, and I suppose maybe women are better at recognising those emotions.

Men traditionally are a bit more closed and less likely to talk about feelings.

Obviously, we’ve had huge drives to get men to talk about their feelings.

You would definitely see more women coming in and talking about it, and this is good.

These are the ones who are presenting for help.

But there are a lot of people out there who just don’t talk to anyone and they’re the ones you really worry about.

Symptoms vary hugely from person to person.

Obviously when people think of anxiety they think of the classic panic attack, where people feel overwhelmed, where people feel sick, where they feel like they’re having a heart attack — that’s anxiety at its extreme physical sense.

But for some people it’s just a sense of not being able to relax or switch off, some people simply don’t sleep well, some people lose their appetite, some people feel more hungry.

Some withdraw socially and find it stressful engaging with people because they don’t feel comfortable talking.

There are a huge amount of symptoms but where you have a sense that you’re just not happy in yourself, or not at ease with yourself, this is something to always flag.

Being a GP is a great leveller in life.

If I feel like I’m having a bad day and I go into work, I’ll have 20 people tell me about what’s going on in their lives — and you realise actually your life is not so bad.

Tips to manage ailment

TALK ABOUT IT: I’m a huge believer in talking therapies. Psychotherapy, seeing a counsellor or a psychologist is something really good to do. They help explore the basis for your anxiety and if you can sort out the reasons you feel anxious hopefully the anxiety itself will settle.

MINDFULNESS: This is hugely helpful, as has been shown in clinical studies to help reduce anxiety. It stops us thinking, ‘Oh my god, what am I going to do if…?’ It teaches us to live in the here and now and accept our emotions.

BIBLIOTHERAPY: Reading self-help books have been shown in studies to be as good as medication in mild to moderate anxiety.

GET HELP: The most important thing is to not sit there thinking you just have to deal with this, because you don’t.